Record Reviews

	CROMWELL ~ BURNING BANNERS ANGULAR 8204 ~ UK ~ Progressive Rock 1st album from 1997 by this Neo-Prog German band. Basically symphonic but with a harder edge as many German bands tend to emphasize the heavier guitar sound. Strong female vocals.
Updated: 21/09/2021Posted:	CD 1 Recommend To A Friend

DEEP PURPLE ~ BURN (30TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION) RHINO 081227464127 (Barcode: 081227464127) ~ UK ~ Classic Rock Recorded: 1973 Released: 2005 This is a reissue / remaster of the eighth studio album by the legendary British Rock group Deep PurpleFind albums by this artist. It was the first album by the Mk III lineup of the group that included vocalist David CoverdaleFind albums by this artist, guitarist Ritchie BlackmoreFind albums by this artist, keyboardist Jon LordFind albums by this artist, bassist Glenn HughesFind albums by this artist and drummer Ian PaiceFind albums by this artist. The album presented eight original songs co-written by the group members. This remastered edition was expanded with five bonus tracks, which are remixes of four album tracks and a B-side of a single. The lineup change had some minor influence on the musical direction, with included elements of soul and funk, but the prevailing riff dominated and Blues influenced style remained mostly intact. Coverdale turned out to be a fierce lead vocalist, to some degree more rounded and stable that his predecessor. Sadly, this lineup would exist for just over a couple of years, producing just one more studio album, called “StormbringerFind albums with this title”. Overall, this is an everlasting Classic Rock gem, which lost nothing of its glory over time and stands as an icon of what Rock music is all about, making contemporary “Rock” look utterly ridiculous. An absolute must in any decent record collection.

Updated: 22/07/2022Posted: 22/07/2022

CD 1 Remastered Bonus Tracks Recommend To A Friend

	DJAM KARET ~ BURNING THE HARD CITY CUNEIFORM 128 (Barcode: 045775012827) ~ USA ~ Progressive Rock Recorded: 1991 Released: 2000 8th album from 2000, which actually is a reissue of a 1991 album. This one and the next (`Suspension & Displacement`) were issued simultaneously in 1991 and present a perfect picture of the duality of DK. This one is pure classic Prog at its best.
	CD 1 Recommend To A Friend

MAREK MCCARRON MOTYKA ~ BURNS NOT ON LABEL ~ POLAND ~ Blues Recorded: 2020 Released: 2021 This is an album by veteran Polish Blues vocalist / guitarist / songwriter Marek McCarron MotykaFind albums by this artist recorded in a trio format with guitarist Tomasz BienekFind albums by this artist and bassist Jacek RaciborskiFind albums by this artist. Banjo player Partyk FilipowiczFind albums by this artist guests on selected tracks. The album presents eleven original songs co-composed by the trio members, all featuring lyrics by the 18th Century Romantic Scottish poet Robert BurnsFind albums by this artist, translated into the Silesian language by Miroslaw SyniawaFind albums by this artist. At first look the entire enterprise looked entirely weird; Scottish poetry translated into Silesian and framed into a Blues setting? But after taking a deep breath, reading the liner notes and placing the album into the CD player everything started to make perfect sense. Poetry is obviously universal and manages to cross time and language barriers, and since human emotions are basically common to all of us, Motyka’s affinity to the Scotsman’s words are not that bizarre after all. As to the Blues setting, well the southern Polish region of Upper Silesia (where I was born) is well recognized as the cradle of the Polish Blues and many of the leading Polish Blues musicians originate from there. And even the McCarron nickname has a good explanation for the insiders ;) The music is, not surprisingly, traditional Blues, acoustic and raw, wonderfully sung by Motyka, who has the vocal qualities ideal for the genre, and the guitars only accompaniment adds to the authenticity of the sound. If one disregards the language, this sound almost like an early, almost field recording. Of course this album is way beyond copying the original, but a genuine, heartfelt Blues statement, full of emotion and expression. The instrumental work is also exactly what is required to make this music sound honest and unpretentious. Overall this is a very original and interesting statement, with a cross-cultural message and a nice dose of Blues, which should make all lovers of the genre happy. Silesia rules, which goes without saying!

Updated: 13/08/2021Posted: 13/08/2021

CD 1 Digipak Recommend To A Friend

	SPIROGYRA ~ BURN THE BRIDGES REPERTOIRE 4846 ~ UK ~ Folk-Rock A collection of 17 previously unavialable tracks by this great folk-rock, psychedelic Prog group. The material contains mostly demos and early versions of songs later included on their albums, which portray the changes the songs went through during the recording stage. Very interesting material.
	CD 1 Remastered Recommend To A Friend

TRYLOBITY GROUP ~ BURNING STONES LUNA 410 (Barcode: 5900672924107) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2016 Released: 2017 This is the debut album by Polish Jazz trio Trylobity GroupFind albums by this artist, which consists of saxophonists Janusz BrychFind albums by this artist and Slawek DudarFind albums by this artist and drummer Mateusz ManiakFind albums by this artist. The album presents seven original compositions, five by Brych and two by Dudar. The album is under thirty minutes in duration and should be considered rather as an EP sample of things to come. The concept of a trio consisting of two saxophones and drums is certainly quite unusual one, but this album proves that it certainly is a valid and quite fascinating approach. Obviously the focus of this music is in the saxophone duets, with the drums providing a rhythmic backbone to the proceedings. Since the saxophonists use different instruments (Brych plays baritone and tenor and Dudar alto) there is no clash between their parts and they compliment each other amicably. As a result the album presents a fully developed sound, which does not need any additional elements to make it sound complete. The music is very melodic and pretty straightforward and the improvisations are kept well within the mainstream Jazz idiom, although they are often passionate and quite complex. The rapport between the two saxophonists is excellent and they exchange licks, move forward and back playing behind and in front of each other, skillfully produce unisono riffs and so on. There is not a dull moment on this album, and saxophone connoisseurs will find this album truly delightful. Overall this is a surprising, quite unusual and novel Jazz album, which finds a way to produce something fresh within the mainstream idiom, without moving out into the Avant Garde ground. As such it is certainly praiseworthy. Hope to hear more of this music soon!

Updated: 17/12/2018Posted: 29/05/2017

CD 1 Digipak Recommend To A Friend

FRANK ZAPPA ~ BURNT WEENY SANDWICH ZAPPA 3842 (Barcode: 824302384220) ~ USA ~ Avant-Garde Jazz-Rock Fusion Recorded: 1967 - 1969 Released: 2012 This is a reissue / remaster of the 9th album by iconic American guitarist / composer / bandleader / visionary Frank ZappaFind albums by this artist, released originally in 1970. The music was recorded at various locations and studios between 1967 and 1969. The album presents nine tracks, all (except two) composed by Zappa. The lineup, in addition to Zappa on guitar and vocals, includes members of the expanded version of Mothers Of InventionFind albums by this artist, which includes a brass section: pianist Don PrestonFind albums by this artist, bassist Roy EstradaFind albums by this artist, drummer Jimmy Carl BlackFind albums by this artist, multi-instrumentalist Ian UnderwoodFind albums by this artist, woodwind players Bunk GardnerFind albums by this artist and Jim SherwoodFind albums by this artist, trumpeter Buzz GardnerFind albums by this artist, violinist Don Sugarcane HarrisFind albums by this artist and several others. The music is mostly instrumental and includes the almost nineteen minutes long suite, which is a wonderful example of Zappa’s ambitious composition created already at that early stage of his career. It features Jazzy improvisations and has a Jazz-Rock Fusion ambience, which was already very prominent on the album’s predecessor “Hot RatsFind albums with this title”. Two short tracks are references to the Russian modern composer Igor StravinskyFind albums by this artist, one of Zappa’s favorites. Only the opening and closing tracks are Zappa’s arrangements of Pop songs, full of his usual zany humor. Overall, although this music is now over fifty years old, it sounds as fresh as it did when first heard and lost absolutely nothing of its power and everlasting beauty. This album remains an absolute Classic in every respect, which stands proudly as an icon of superb music, which still shines brighter than almost anything else recorded since. Side Note Frank Zappa created a vast recorded legacy during his lifetime, which is continuously being expanded using music recorded and stored in his extensive vault. The albums officially released and approved by Zappa are numbered sequentially in the "Official Release" series, from #001 to the last release so far #126. The albums between #001 to #062 were released during Zappa's lifetime and all the others were released posthumously. There are countless unofficial / bootleg releases on the market as well. Zappa's catalogue was remastered for CD release twice: in 1995 for the RykodiscFind albums on this label releases and again in 2012 for the ZappaFind albums on this label Records / UniversalFind albums on this label releases. The Zappa / Universal program includes 60 releases, which cover the entire catalog released during his lifetime (62 releases, except #013 "200 Motels" and the three Box Sets #043, #046 and #049 called "The Old Masters vol.I / II / III"), and 6 posthumous releases (#064, #065, #067, #068, #093 and #094), which were also included.

Updated: 22/09/2022Posted: 01/02/2022

CD 1 Remastered Recommend To A Friend